For many, the Mercedes-Benz name represents the pinnacle of automotive design and good taste. While they may not have the means to climb into a new S-Class, the upwardly mobile still have a shot at joining the exclusive MB club without breaking the bank. Mercedes-Benz' most affordable offering, the 2009 C-Class, comes loaded with style and content. Starting in the mid-$30,000 range, the C-Class must contend with the likes of the Audi A4, Infiniti G37 and Cadillac CTS. And while some will note the C-Class lacks such technological gadgets as adaptive cruise control and adaptive headlights, it is still a lot of car for the money. More importantly, it is a lot of Mercedes-Benz for the money.

You'll Like This Car If...

If you desire a reasonably-priced premium luxury car guaranteed to impress the neighbors, but still require a functioning sedan for clients and family, the C-Class has you covered.

You May Not Like This Car If...

If bang for the buck is more important than the Mercedes-Benz name, makes from Audi, Infiniti and Acura provide more features for about the same or less money.

What's New for 2009

The 2009 C-Class gains front pelvic airbags, bringing its total number of supplemental restraints to eight. The C300 gets a comfort suspension, while a 10-way driver's memory seat and power adjustable steering wheel are made standard on the C350. New options include a 40 gigabyte hard drive with six gigabytes of music storage and a Zagat restaurant guide.

Driving the C-Class

Driving Impressions
In the Luxury trim, the C300 delivers an enjoyable ride, responsive handling and a quiet cabin. Acceleration with the 3.0-liter V6 is brisk and passing power is ample, even at...

high speeds. In Sport trim a six-speed manual transmission brings out the C300's playful side, making us wish for more aggressively bolstered front seats. The high tech Agility Control, which selectively stiffens or softens the shocks in response to road conditions and steering input, performed as promised. Like the C300 Sport, the C350 rides on larger tires and sits about an inch closer to the ground. While handling is improved over the Luxury model, ride comfort is somewhat diminished and cabin noise levels see a slight increase. The 3.5-liter V6 packs a bit more punch than the base engine, but does not offer a manual transmission, saddled instead with a seven-speed automatic with manual shift feature. Unfortunately, the sometimes slow-to-come shift points often make it more enjoyable to just leave the lever in the "D" position.

Favorite Features

Panoramic Glass SunroofWhen open, the roof exposes half the cabin to the open air and, when closed, delivers equal quantities of sunlight to front and rear passengers.

harman/kardon AudioWith 450-watts, 12-speakers and surround sound LOGIC7 technology, the system is good enough on its own. Add in a six-gigabyte storage unit for uploading songs, voice control and PCMCIA slot, and the C-Class delivers one of the most advanced audio systems in its class.

2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Details

Interior

A blend of the old with the new best describes the C-Class interior. Optional leather seating and tasteful wood inlays surround the cabin, but the power-extendable LCD display screen and multifunctional central controller are far from traditional. The front seats are wide and somewhat flat, which is fine for the Luxury model but definitely lacking in the support that would be appropriate for the Sport. The optional panoramic glass sunroof opens the C-Class interior, making it feel larger and more airy. A few oddities stand out, namely the awkward placement of the manual lumbar control and the less-than-intuitive steering-wheel controls for the information screens and audio system.

Exterior

The once-sedate C-Class comes alive with eye-catching sheetmetal and two different grille designs (one for Luxury, the other for Sport). Following the styling of the elegant S-Class, the C-Class now appears more on design's cutting edge. A long wheelbase and body give the car a substantial road presence as well as adult-sized interior dimensions. Mercedes-Benz loyalists will quickly notice the Sport model's transference of the three-pointed Mercedes-Benz star from the hood to the grille, a first for a Mercedes-Benz sedan. Racy alloy wheels, a lowered suspension and AMG-inspired lower bodywork complete the Sport model's aggressive look.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

Standard features for the 2009 C-Class include a power sunroof, eight-way power front seats with manual lumbar control, Bluetooth connectivity, eight speaker 100-watt sound system with auxiliary input jack, 17-inch alloy wheels, agility control selective dampening suspension, dual-zone automatic climate control, central controller and a motorized LCD display. The C300 Sport features a six-speed manual transmission, while the 300 Luxury and 350 Sport have a seven-speed automatic. Standard safety features include eight airbags, adaptive braking, traction and stability control, active front head restraints and extensive use of high-strength steel.

For most C-Class drivers, the 3.0-liter V6 should prove more than adequate. With 228-horsepower and ample torque, this engine delivers a nice balance between fuel economy and performance, taking only 7.1 seconds to go from zero to 60 miles per hour. Although the C350's 3.5-liter V6 delivers 40 more horsepower and shaves one second from the C's zero-to-60 time, it costs some $5,000 more than the C300 and offers neither the manual transmission nor the 4MATIC option.}

"This is my wifes car. She had a tragic fall at home and can't get in and out of this car. It was her dream car! We both loved it and it is truly an unusual combination of SPORT CAR and a 4 passenger fun car easily. It has plenty of horsepower and at the same time driven near speed limits is very reasonable on the gas. Its kinda like this , if you drive it you will want it!"

excellent car

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

9/10

Value

5/10

Reliability

10/10

Quality

9/10

Performance

8/10

Styling

9/10

Comfort

8/10

Cons: "needs more comfortable seats"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"beautiful car that gets noticed. Good price point for buying but wished it retained better value. In 4 years it has lost $20,000 in value. Very good performance, have had no repairs done except maintenance."

"Purchased new in 2008. While annual maintenance can be high (oil change, etc), the car was superbly reliable, fun to drive. We test drove all luxury vehicles in similar price range. This was to only one that felt like a luxury brand. My wife totaled the car a couple of days ago. She hit a guard rail head on, peeled back 20 feet of rail and walked away w/o a scratch or bruise.
We are going in today to purchase our new 2015 version with all the safety features today."

"I had a 2008 then 2011 now 2014 C sedan and the engineering quality decline is staggering. The 2011 transmission shifts were noticeable but the 2014 are terrible. Living in CA we encounter a lot of traffic and the car lurches as it shifts or is slow and then hard revs before it kicks in. Dealer says this is normal when the engine is cold which seems like an excuse. The other oddity is it is hard to put gas in the car because of an oddly designed vacuum feature at the filler. You have to contort the gas hose to engage the pump into the filler otherwise the pump kicks off after a few drops of gas go into the tank. It takes forever to fill the tank. Rather than fixing the engineering flaw MB published a diagram how to pump gas. I think they hired the cast off engineers who said not to use a key ring so your car won't shut off on its own!
The design of the car is great outside and inside but it is not a great driving car for what it cost. I will look at an Audi or BMW in 2016."

I really like my C300, solid car with great featur

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating

9/10

Value

8/10

Reliability

9/10

Quality

9/10

Performance

9/10

Styling

8/10

Comfort

8/10

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"Solid car with excellent features - I have the headlight upgrade and these lights that follow the curve and illuminate side lights when turning are great, good power, smooth transmission shifting and great handling."

"This is the best car I have owned, and is my 4th Mercedes. The Panorama roof makes it a way better option than a convertible. The car is quiet, easy to park, comfortable to drive any distance, and turns many heads. The trunk is spacious, as is the back seat for passengers. I can't think of anything I would like in a car that this vehicle does not have. Get one!"